Hollinger Corp; 
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LD 2525 

1829 
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ADDRESS, 

DELIVERED AT BLQOMINGTON OCTOBER 29, 1^^^ 

BY THE REV. ANDREW WYLIE, D. D- 

f>N THE OCCASION OP HIS INAUGURATION, A^ PRESIDENT ©F 
INDIANA COLLEGE. 

?ublish?d by ord.er of the Board of Truste§i?v 



INDIANAPOLIS; 

FI^INTEP BY DOU.GLASS AND MAGUIRE- 



CD 2.5^5 



3 1 (, 4 ij- 
'3 



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ADDRESS 



Gentlemen op the Board, and 

Respected Audience: 

Of what advantage is a College to the community? Hd 
this question it is reasonably expected that, on an occasion 
like the present, a plain and satisfactory answer should be 
given. Institutions of this kind depend for their prospe- 
rity upon public favor, which, without the prospect of 
reciprocal advantage, it cannot be expected the public 
should bestow. On this principle, then, let the question 
he placed; and let us approach it, laying aside all preju- 
dice on either side. 

That colleges are necessary to furnish young men des« 
lined for the liberal professions with a general acquaintance 
with literature and science and to train them to habits of 
mental discipline, as preparatory to their entering upon 
those studies which are strictly professional, has been, fof 
centuries, the prevailing opinion ; an opinion, therefore, 
which ought not, but upon good and sufficient reasons, to be 
discarded. But, not to rest the matter upon authority, 
since the prevalence of an opinion is no certain evidence 
of its correctness, it may not be amiss, on the present occa- 
sion, to hestow some remarks on this view of the subject* 

And, to begin with the profession of medicine* Health, 
it will be readily admitted, by all especially who have 
ever been deprived of it, is among the most valuable of 
earthly blessings. Yet how precarious is the possession of 
it. The diseases by which it is liable to be impaired make 
Up a list of frightful magnitude* Now, for all these, or 



^iearly all, nature has provided a preventive, a remedy, of 
a palliative. These, however, are not obvious. Science 
is necessary to find them out, and skill, to apply them^ 
But how are this science and skill to be acquired? They 
are stored away in books and in the minds of men who are 
eminent in medical knowledge; and thence they cannot be 
drawn withput the help of those acquisitions which it is the 
intention of a college education to impart. A medical 
lecture, whether delivered or printed in a book, is Arabic 
to the mere English scholar. Let such an one attend a 
thorough course in any of the most respectable of our halls 
of medicalscience, and let him, while there, make the best 
use of his opportunities, and yet he shall return home with 
little more advantage from the instructions which have 
been delivered, than if he had spent the same time in feed- 
ing cattle upon a farm. And the reason is, he does not un- 
derstand the terms employed. The analysis, the classifi- 
cation, the discrimination — the whole method of instruction^ 
is beyond his reach. He is in a new world. Strange ob- 
jects are made to pass in succession before his eyes; but 
they are, to his view, enveloped in mist. He sees nothing 
distinctly, and what he does see he is incapable of reduc- 
ing to any orderly arrangement; so that, in the end, he re- 
tains nothing more of all that has engaged his attention than 
a kind of confused recollection that there were wonderful 
things told him, of which he can give no further account* 

But, it has been asked, why could not the lecturer make 
his instructions plain, so that the mere English scholar 
might understand them. He could: but he would have to 
go back to elementary principles and extend his course ac- 
cordingly. That is to say, he must do the very same thing 
for his pupil that is now done for him in college— -and at 
ten times the expense. 

People complain of public instructors in the arts and sci- 
ences for writing and speaking a language which nobody 
f)ut the learned can understand: whereas, in truth, the difr 



"Sculty lies in the things to he taught^ hot in the terms by 
which a knowledge of them is communicated. The ideas 
are uncommon: they lie beyond the range of ordinary 
thought, and the terms by which they are indicated must 
lie, consequently, out of the compass of ordinary language. 
Philosophy, which, in its most extensive signification, means 
all kinds of knowledge that are valuable, except that which 
pertains to the common concerns of life and which nobody 
has any occasion to learn, has, and must have, a language 
of its own. If the appropriate terms in which it is now 
taught were laid aside, others must be invented to fill their 
place, or ordinary words must be used in a new significa- 
tion. Such a mod« of communication would be tedious, 
doubtful, and embarrassing to the learner in a much higher 
degree than that which adopts the beautiful, terse, and 
comprehensive language in which philosophy delights. To 
use learned terms on common topics is pedantry. But 
learned themes it is next to impossible to discuss in collo- 
quial style. An example^ taken from one of the plainest 
and most useful theorems of geometry, will illustrate, at 
once, the truth of these remarks. When I say, "In any 
right-angled triangle the square of the hypothenuse is 
equal to the squares of the remaining sides," I express a 
proposition in philosophical language; and the unlearned 
do not understand either the words, or the proposition. 
Again; I express the same thing in familiar language: thus, 
*'In any three-sided straight-hned figure, one of whose sides 
is perpendicular to another side; if squares be drawn on 
its three sides, the large square upon the slanting side op- 
posite the two perpendiculars is exactly equal to the two 
smaller squares taken together; and this is absolutely true, 
whatever be the size of the three-sided figure, or the pro- 
portion of its sides to each other." Now, the unlearned read- 
er, or hearer, understands the words, taken separately, 
but he knows no more of the doctrine which they express — 
ihe nature of thf». proposition, nor its Uses— than he did br^ 



ibi'e. The only difference is, that, in the one case, he may 
be imposed upon — be induced to think that he understands 
the subject when he does not; but in the other, he is not so 
liable to be deceived, because the words as well as the 
things are strange to him, and as soon as he understands 
the former the latter will need no explanation. 

JSo man, who is not utterly unacquainted with the histo- 
ry of science, needs to be informed that the knowledge of 
things is intimately complicated with the knowledge of } 

words. Language is not only the vehicle, but the instru* 
ment of thought. Hence an additional reason why a know- 
ledge of those languages from which medical terms have 
been derived should facilitate the acquisition of the science 
itself. 

But, to say that the physician should be well acquainted 
with the Latin and Greek languages, is saying but little» 
He should be profoundly versed in mental philosophy, a 
much nobler branch of learning: for, such is the influence 
of the mind upon the body, that he who would prescribe 
for the maladies of the one should understand the opera-= 
lions of the other. 

It is almost too obvious to need mention that Chymistry^ 
which lies at the foundation of the Materia Medica, is all- 
important to the physician. 

As for the other branches of science and literature which 
compose the college course, they may not be so intimately 
connected with the science of medicine. But as a profes- 
sional man the physician ought not to be a mere retailer of 
drugs. His intercourse with society requires that he 
should be a man of refinement and general intelligence. 

So important, in these respects, is a college education, 
that without it the profession of medicine would sink at 
once, and, along with it, whatever knowledge the experi- 
ence of past ages has been collecting, from the results of 
Innumerable cases and applications^ for the purpose of al- 



deviating the sufferings which accident and disease are in- 
flicting upon the human race. 

What would be the consequences may be readily conjec- 
tured from what we see occasionally taking place in neigh- 
borhoods where men are permitted to take up the profes- 
sion, as they would a trade, without having gone through 
a course of preparatory studies. When sickness or calami- 
ty enters one of the famihes of such a village or neighbor- 
hood, seized with alarm and not knowing what to do, they 
^end for "the doctor." He receives his unhappy patient, 
as the essayer would a piece of untested ore, as a subject 
on which experiments are to be tried. Suffering nature 
may indicate the malady and suggest the cure by the plain- 
est symptoms. The case may have occurred, in the histo- 
ry of nosology ten thousand times, and scientific men may 
have defined it as often, and prescribed the treatment. It 
matters not. The empiric knows nothing of it all: and to 
shew that he at least has confidence enough in his own 
skill, he goes instantly to work, pursues a bold practice, 
and stays not his hand, till his patient has made good his 
escape from all experiments, and life together. Or, if a 
strong constitution, bidding defiance at once to the disease 
and the doctor, should set the sick man upon his feet again, 
the credit of the cure is denied to kind nature and ascrib" 
ed to the man of pills or the man of steam — ^as the case 
may be ; and life prolonged in one becomes the occasion of 
its being shortened to many more. For the name of the 
^'successful physician" is trumpeted to the winds, and he 
operates, for the future, upon a greater number of subjects, 
with greater confidence, and more terrible effect. 

Far be it from me to deal, on this or any other subject, 
in indiscriminate censure. 1 honor the medical profession 
and desire that those whose talents and virtues have adorn- 
ed it should be held, as they will be, in everlasting venera- 
tion. Their services have cheered the dark hour of afflic- 
tion, and brought solace and comfort to the anxious and 



tjie desponding. Some, too, it is freely admitted, have, bj 
a superior native sagacity, and by unwearied application 
to study in a more private way, and without enjoying the 
advantages of a regular education, rendered important ser- 
vices to mankind in the medical profession. Such instan- 
ces, however, are comparatively rare; and their attain- 
ments and success form no apology for such as, presumptu- 
ously, and without the requisite qualifications, thrust them- 
selves into a calling where they aggravate the sufferings 
which they profess to remove, and mock the hopes which 
their noisy pretensions sometimes mihappily excite. 

But though it should be granted that the student of medi- 
cine might acquire, in a given time, as much knowledge in 
the art which he intends to practice, without a previous 
acquaintance with the learned languages as with it — a sup^ 
position which never can be verified in fact — yet, let it be 
remembered that the knowledge which he thus acquires is 
not general. It belongs to one subject alone, and does not 
facilitate the acquisition of ideas on any other. He may, 
therefore become a physician; but he will be a mere phy- 
sician, and cannot expect to rise above mediocrity in his 
profession, or to contribute any thing to the stock of medi- 
cal knowledge which the world already possesses. He, on 
the contrary, who takes "the good old way" and devotes him- 
self, in the first place, to the acquisition of general science 
and literature, is exercising his mind in a way which give§ 
vigor and activity to all its faculties, and the knowledge 
which he is acquiring has this additional advantage over 
those studies which are directed toward a particular pro- 
fession that it renders his future progress, ir^ all other kinds 
of knowledge, pleasant and easy. 

Let us, in the next place, view the question now under 
consideration as it stands connected with the legislation and 
jurisprudence of the community. 

There can scarcely be presented an object of contempla- 
tion more delightful than that ©f a community in which 



Ipeace and good order prevail ; — where the houndaries of 
icdividual rights are fixed by law, and fortified by the cer- 
tain appHcation of proper penalties. Where this is the 
case the operations of the whole society go on undisturbed ; 
every man pursuing his own occupation, laying by his gains 
and making provision for his family ; and as he trains them 
to habits of virtue, and sees them going out and coming in 
under his paternal supervision, he feels secure in the confi- 
dence that the tranquilhty of this lovely scene is not to be 
broken up by any "son of mischief;" because every son of 
mischief Imows that, the moment he transgresses those boun- 
daries which the law makes sacred, the force of its ven- 
geance will be turned upon him. Needs it be demonstrat- 
ed that this tranquilhty and good order depend upon the 
j-ust administration of wise and wholesome laws, or that wise 
and wholesome laws can neither be enacted nor properly 
administered by ignorant men? 

The questions litigated in courts of justice are often of 
deep importance to the parties concerned: and the whole 
community has an interest in their being justly decided. 
Such questions, affecting property, liberty, and life itself^ 
could not with safety be left to the adjudication of men 
drawn on the emergency from the common walks of life. 
What security could there be in such cases to the rights of 
individuals, during those excitements of popular feeling 
which take place so frequently and rise so high in all free 
governments, if those great land-marks were removed or 
disregarded which the care and experience of past ages 
have set up to direct the course of justice. What bul- 
wark against the oppression of the opulent and powerful 
could be found for the weak and the helpless, if society 
should have its Verres and its Hastings, but not a Cicero 
or a Burke? As matters now are, it is often hard for the 
honest and unsuspecting part of the community to pass un- 
molested. But how much more so would it be, if villany, 
lurking in his den of rapine, were left to make inroads upoa 



iiie happiness of society, seciuse of a retreat? And secure he 
would be, but for those who by their skill in law are quali» 
fied, and from professional interest and pride are disposed, 
to pursue him to his last resort, and drag him forth to suffer 
the frowns of public indignation and the penalty of injured 
justice.. But on these topics I need not enlarge, since the 
necessity of making the study and application of the law the 
business of a Separate profession, has been felt and acknow- 
ledged in the usages of all civilized nations. Permit me on- 
ly to ask, by whom Ibis profession, so noble in itself and so con° 
•ducive to the public good, ought to be filled. By sopho- 
mores of slender intellect and scanty knowledge and bound- 
less impudence, who, having no merit on which to rely, will 
have recourse to every base art for the purpose of advanc- 
ing themselves or reducing others to their own level? Or^ 
by men of respectable attainrlients in literature and science, 
who are qualified to do justice to the caiise of their client, and 
w^ho would scorn to prostitute their powers by patronizing 
fraud and injustice, and whom the country might, without 
disgrace, erhploy in the legislative or the judiciary depart- 
ments? It is a characteristic of our nature to be always 
aspiring after something higher or more perfect than that 
to which we have already attained ; and that is a wise pro- 
vision in the government of any community which gives 
scope for the exercise of this disposition on the part of its 
citizens, in ways conducive to the general good. And it 
seems natural and reasonable, that the skill and experience 
whith have been gained in the profession of explaining and 
declaring the law, should be transferred to the higher office 
of enacting it, and to that of adjudicating under it. Dur- 
ing the revolution, at the formation of the general and 
state governments, and at every subsequent period of our 
history, this practice has obtained. Hence an additional 
reason why a thorough and substantial education should 
he required in those who aim at the legal profession. 
There is scarcely any species of knowledge which th^ 



11 

^uty of a legislator does not put in requisition. He should 
be pro/bundly acquainted with the science of morals, that 
he may be able justly to appreciate virtue as tending above 
all things else to promote the public good, and clearly to 
discern what measures to adopt to prevent destructive vi= 
ces from taking root in the community. He should be we\\ 
yersed in the science of human nature, that he may distin- 
guish between those cases in which the civil authority 
may properly interpose, and those which ought to be left to 
the control of public opinion and individual interest. He 
should understand those natural and artificial relations 
which constitute the frame-work of human society, and 
those points of contact at which the different interests 
and pursuits of men press upon each other, that he may 
not, in his zeal to protect the rights of one class of citizens, 
expose those of another class to injury. He should be ex- 
tensively read in the history of legislation ; that he may be 
able to compare one constitution and code of laws with an- 
other, the genius and institutions of one people with those of 
another, theoretical principles with practical results ; that 
he may in all his deliberations call in the aid of experience^ 
and, at the same time, correct and modify the results of a 
limited experience, by those extensive analogies which are 
discoverable upon a comprehensive survey of the course 
pf human actions and events. He should have attentively 
examined the peculiarities of our situation, government and 
genius as a people; that the legal enactments which he 
may have a hand in forming, may accord with the nature 
of our free institutions, and not with those which grew out 
of the feudal systems of the old world. 

Now, let me ask, whether such qualifications as these can 
reasonably be expected in a man whose mind has never been 
trained to the habit of accurate and connected thinking, in 
the process of hterary and scientific investigations? That 
these quahfications are indispensible to every man who as- 
pires to aseat^in our hnlls of legislation is not pretended! 



12 

but that they are highly desirahle must surely be granted. 
The interests of each particular state, as involved in its 
relation to the Union, and of the Union itself as connected 
witb the other nations of the earth, it is reasonable to sup* 
pose, will be maintained and promoted in proportion to the 
competency of the men to whom they are intrusted. The 
time was, when the power of nations depended upon the num- 
ber and discipline of their armies. The progress of science 
and art has transferred it now to difFerenthands,and intellect 
has become more important than muscular strength, and the 
pen a mightier instrument than the sword. The truth of this 
remark has often been exemplified in the history of mo? 
dern nations, who have frequently lost in negotiation what, 
at an immense expenditure of blood and treasure, they had 
gained by their prowess in arms. 

But, if it is necessary that men of cultivated talent should 
be employed in enacting and interpreting our laws, in pre- 
siding in our courts of justice, in negotiating our treaties, 
and in managing our public business generally, it is cer- 
tainly not less so that none but those of this character 
should aspire to the office of giving public instruction on 
the great matters of morality and religix)n. Were this 
office of human institution merely, there never had existed, 
probably, any difference of opinion on this subject. But 
because those Avho first filled it were qualified for the 
exercise of its important functions in a supernatural 
manner, and because divine grace is justly considered 
an indispensible qualification for it, some seem to imagine 
that the necessity of literary attainments is entirely su- 
perseded. To those who hold this opinion it is sufficient, 
for the present, to reply that miracles have long since 
ceased, and that the power of working them, while that 
power was enjoyed, constituted no part of those qualifica- 
tions which fitted the primitive teachers "of the way of 
righteousness" for the discharge of their office, but was a 
mere appendage to jit. The disciples of Christ received 



13 

instruetions from him in the ordinary way. Paul's remarks,. 
as to the quaUfications of those who were by him thought 
worthy of the sacred office, shew that he did not think di- 
dactic powers unnecessary. Grace does not supersede the 
necessity of human efforts, nor suspend the laws of nature* 
The nature of the office shews the necessity of extensive 
learning in those who would discharge its duties. The Bi- 
ble must be explained, which, as to the matter of it, is the 
most comprehensive book that ever was written, and, as 
to the style, so peculiar and idiomatic, that no mere English 
scholar can possibly interpret its meaning. It gives a view 
of the world throughout its whole duration from the crea- 
tion to the general judgment. We find in it every species 
of writing, whether of prose or of poetry. It embraces all 
kinds of subjects, and draws illustrations from every thing 
on earth and in heaven. It relates to things visible and 
invisible, time and eternity, providence, grace, redemption 
- — the moral government of God, and the agency of man« 
In short, there is not a subject relating to man, either in his 
individual or social character,^ which does not occupy a 
place in the sacred pages. Such is the text book prepar- 
ed by the spirit of inspiration for the use of the pub- 
lic teacher of religion. And will any offer, without the 
key of knowledge, to open this immense magazine of in- 
struction? I pity that minister of religion who enters the 
sacred office without grace. If he thinks that grace with- 
out knowledge is sufficient, though not so much to be piti- 
ed, he is surely neither to be encouraged nor commended* 
The warmth of feeling and the evidence of knowledge^ 
like heat and light in the rays of the sun, are blended in 
religion. The attempt to separate them is both foolish 
?ind wicked. Monkish teachers once took away the light; 
and a night of superstition followed, in which imposture 
played off its tricks, undetected, before the ignorant multi- 
tude. The neologists, more recently, have taken away 
|he warmth, and have given, for day, moonshine, in whiqb 



14 

-0) glow ot holy feeling can be experienced, nor any great and 
noble enterprize performed. The philosophers of the last 
century attempted at once to put out both the light and 
keat of religion, and to supply their place by the fire of 
their own torches; and, after they had "encompassed" 
themselves with sparks of their own kindling, and "walked''^ 
for awhile in the light of their unhallowed fires, they and 
their followers sunk down together in the shame and sor- 
row of an everlasting disappointment. Let no man think 
of repeating these, or any of these experiments. 

It is most deplorable that persons should be found, in this 
age of the world and of the church, to decry human learn- 
ing, as they call it, as unnecessary in him who undertakes 
to deliver instructions publicly on the subject of rehgion; 
and more deplorable still, that they should be kept in coun- 
tenance by the extravagance of those who run into the op- 
posite extreme, and, in examining the pretensions of candi- 
dates for the sacred office, require evidence of human learn- 
ing but none of the grace of God. With the.latter, how- 
ever, I have no concern at present. To th^ former I would 
say. If your object is to preserve the purity of religion by 
preventing men under the influence of unhallo\Ted motives 
from intruding into its most sacred functions^ v/hy favor the 
pretensions of the weak and ignorant? Are not they the 
most ambitious, and fond of display, as well as most 
liable to be imposed upon by their feelings? What sacri= 
iiee do they make, what prospects of advancement in the 
\varld do they renounce, what humiliating services do they 
undertake, from love to the souls of men? Is not God the 
God of order? What kind of order is that where ignorance 
teaches and weakness rules? Is it reason, or is it madness, to 
suppose that the author of those beautiful and magnificent ar- 
rangements, which we every where behold in the works of na- 
ture, should connect the supernatural influxes of the Divine 
Spirit with the hallucinations of idiocy? Who can endure, 
that the magnificent conceptions and idiomatic phrases of 



15 

Paul, of Isaiah, or of Asaph, should come under the exami' 
nation of a critic, who, one while, mistakes a piece of iro* 
ny for direct affirmation, and, another, substantiates a proof 
from the fancied analogies of a parable ? 

If colleges were of no further use than merely to applj 
the test of its duties, as so many prelusory trials to be per- 
formed by such as have in view the office of the gospel mi- 
nistry, they ought to be regarded as highly important. But, 
besides this advantage, the studies which employ the atten- 
tion of the student at college not only furnish a various and 
salutary exercise to all his mental faculties, and thus ten^ 
to develope whatever talent he may possess, but furnish 
him with those ideas and impressions which will enable him 
with greater ability afterwards to discharge the duties of 
the sacred office. Of these studies we shall select those 
that belong to Natural Science, because none seem so little 
connected with religion as they ; and, accordingly, none are 
so little valued, usually, by the theological student. In 
systems of theology they are seldom even referred to. The 
sacred scriptures, however, do not slight the discoveries of 
natural science. They conduct us at once to the works of 
nature in the account they give of the genesis of the world, 
and refer us, in almost every page, to the same source for 
suitable impressions of the Divine Majesty. This fact de- 
serves to be profoundly considered by those who would 
confine the enquiries of the theologian, and the scope of his 
public instructions, to the narrow circle of a few articles of 
faith. Particulatly does it deserve to be remarked, that 
those portions of scripture which are purely devotional 
tend to direct the mind, in admiring contemplation, to those 
scenes of grandeur which are exhibited in the earth, the 
air, the sky, the ocean. And every attentive reader of the 
Evangelists has observed with what frequency and inimita- 
ble tenderness. He who teaches as never man taught, there 
refers to those parts of nature which are near us, with 
^^hich, of coiirge, we are best acquainted, and which are 



16 

principally employed in administering to our comfort and 
gratification, as affording illustrations of the care and good* 
ness of our Father in Heaven. How immensely superior 
are those ideas which we thus derive from the works of na- 
ture over those which are to be met with in the dry and va- 
pid speculations of the mystical divine. They present to 
our view God as he is. They bring Him near us, place 
Him in contact with our spirits, and almost within the ap- 
prehension of our very senses. We feel his kindness flow- 
ing out, from the inexhaustible exuberance of nature, by a 
thousand channels. In the benign aspect of his creation 
we behold the light of his countenance: and we are filled 
with awe and delight. "Whoever will consider aright," 
says the father of modern philosophy, "will acknowledge 
that, next to the word of God, the most certain cure of su- 
perstition, and the best aliment of faith, is the knowledge 
of nature. Therefore philosophy is given to religion as 
her most faithful handmaid; the one manifesting the will, 
the other the power, of God: nor did he mistake who said, 
^ye err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God,* 
thus inseparably blending and joining together the know- 
ledge of his will, and the contemplation of his power." 

No emotion of the soul approaches so near the nature of 
pure devotion, or blends so readily with it, as that which 
arises in the mind on contemplating the grandeur and 
"beauty of the material universe; and there is no better 
way of preserving the mind from low and unworthy con- 
ceptions of the Great Supreme, than by frequently exercis- 
ing its contemplative powers upon the glory of his works- 
Now surely it may be reasonably demanded of the public 
teacher of religion, that he should conduct the minds of his 
hearers in those sublime contemplations. But where shall 
he acquire the ability, if not at college? At a theological 
seminary he cannot; for natural science is not taught 
there; and, without a competent knowledge in this and 
other branches taught in our most respectable colleges, no 



17 

young man, whatever may be his capacity, is prepared far 
receiving that kind of instruction which is communicated 
in a theological seminary, any more than one could be pre* 
pared for entering college, without having first obtained a 
knowledge of the preparatory branches of an English edu- 
cation. And, if either the college course or the theologi* 
cal were to be dispensed with in the case of a candidate for 
the sacred office, I should unhesitatingly say, let it be the 
latter. For, when the student has advanced to a certain 
point in mental improvement, he becomes his own best in- 
structor. The quarry is before him, uncovered. His tools 
are prepared, and he is possessed of strength and skill to 
use them. His success, now, will depend more upon the 
vigor and perseverance of his exertions than upon the di- 
rections of a by-stander. 

It is the tendency of all studies merely professional to 
produce an effect upon the mind similar to that which, it 
has been observed, particular employments have upon cer- 
tain parts of the body. The part that is most exercised 
becomes the strongest, as the arms of the smith and the legs 
of the porter, while the parts not exercised continue in a 
state of relative weakness. So it is with the mind. If its 
thoughts be long confined to one channel they cannot, at 
length, be drawn into any other; and thus a peculiar way 
of thinking is produced; and not unfrequently, owing per- 
haps to the influence of concurrent causes^ an illiberal cast 
is given to the whole mind. Religion has suffered greatly 
from teachers whose disposition, taste, and character have 
been vitiated in this way. To this source in part may be 
traced fierce disputes about trifles, bigotry, hypocrisy, per- 
secution, fanaticism, and infidelity; evils which have al- 
ways been found to prevail, wherever the office of giving in- 
struction in religion has fallen into the hands of men whose 
minds have not been enHghtened, purged, and liberalized 
by the influence of general science. Where, on the cor^tra- 
ry, the character of the clergy is respectable for talents. 






18 

knowledge^ and virtue, the influence which they exert is 
happy, thrice happy, for the community. Allow me to 
give an instance oat of many; one which -1 am induced to 
select on the present occasion, because, if I mistake not, it 
deserves, at this moment, the special attention of the West* 
I refer to the cause of temperance. That great and glori- 
ous reformation which, on this subject, is now pervading 
the United States, had its origin in the influence of the cler- 
gy; their eloquence and zeal urged it on, and by their ef- 
forts an impulse has been given to the public mind which* 
it is hoped, will not cease, till we, as a nation, shall become 
as remarkable for our temperance as we had been infa- 
mous for its contrary. The great and salutary change, 
in this respect, which has already taken place in the pub- 
lic morals, has been owing to learning, animated by pietjy 
exerting itself in collecting facts from every quarter, and 
presenting them, in glowing colors, before the view of an 
awakened community. And thus it has ever been, in the 
case of every great and permanent reformation which has 
taken place in the world. But what has ignorance effect- 
ed? Nothing but mischief. What has zeal in rehgion, with- 
out knowledge, effected ? Again, I say, nothing but mischief. 
No one of this respectable audience, it is hoped, will do 
so much injustice to the feelings and views of the speaker 
as to entertain the suspicion that it has been his aim, in the 
remarks that have been just made, to question the motives, 
or disparage the labors of those very worthy men who, 
though destitute of the advantages of a liberal education, 
have felt themselves conscientiously bound to engage in 
the self-denying labors of the gospel ministry. He has 
known more than one of this description who have been 
"burning and shining lights" in the church of God. He 
would be understood as speaking of things generally. All 
cannot be equally learned. Allowance must be made for 
circumstances, and especially for the wants of a poor and 
scattered population. But still* it is important thj\t tho^e 



19 

who aspire to the office of teaching others on the subject of 
rehgion, should themselves be as well instructed as possi-- 
ble. And it is, at this moment, a matter of congratulation, 
among the friends of knowledge and virtue, that the differ- 
ent denominations of professing Christians in our land are 
beginning to manifest a zeal and an emulation, on the sub- 
ject of education, worthy of the glorious cause which, not- 
withstanding minor differences, all are honestly laboring to 
promote. Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyte- 
rians — all sects and parties, forgetting their differences and 
unmeaning and unprofitable disputes, seem to vie with each 
other in efforts for furnishing candidates among them for 
the sacred office with the best means of instruction in litera- 
ture, science and religion, which their means and circum- 
stances can afford. "Such contention," in the language of 
Hesiod, "is good for mortals." May success crown their 
efforts ! 

But yet, as there remains much to be accomplished^ and 
as some still continue to doubt and to lag behind on this 
subject, it is important that it be constantly held up to view 
and urged upon the public attention. 

Colleges are necessary, I would observe in the next 
place, to furnish for the community a sufficient number of 
teachers for academies and common schools. In many- 
parts of our country the business of communicating elemen- 
tary instruction is committed to teachers who are shame* 
fully incompetent ; and, sometimes, to persons who are not 
merely incompetent, but degraded and vicious; whose cha- 
racters are a disgusting compound of stupidity and sin ; 
who have nothing in them to engage the attention or com- 
mand the respect of their pupils, and who are actually de- 
spised both by parents and children, but nevertheless em- 
ployed, because others more respectable cannot be obtain-= 
ed at so cheap a rate ! The consequences are such as might 
be expected. The children, whose misfortune it is to be 
committed to the tuition of such masters, have their facu!.^ 



20 

ties benumbed. They contract a dislike for books and 
learning. Their taste is vitiated, and they fall into gross 
and vulgar habits. And the best part of their lives is 
thrown away, and, not unfrequently, their characters and 
prospects forever ruined, for the want of proper instruction 
and discipline. 

When it is considered, how important is that period of 
life which passes away while our youth are attending the 
inferior schools, and what a controuling influence, over the 
whole tenor of their future course, the habits which they 
contract while there, are likely to exert, we can scarcely 
require too high a grade of qualifications in those who are 
intrusted with the early part of their education. It is 
commonly supposed that he who knows but little can as 
readily teach others that little, as one who knows more. 
This is a great mistake. A person of uncultivated mind 
cannot even direct the road to a stranger which he may 
liave travelled a thousand times. The superiority of a 
well instructed mind is manifest even in little things, and a 
philosopher, should he condescend to take charge of an ele- 
mentary school, would communicate a knowledge of the 
simplest rudiments to a child, in a shorter time, and to 
much better purpose than a person of inferior attainments. 
For, to teach any thing effectually, a man must possess not 
only a knowledge of what is to be communicated, but of 
the mind that is to receive it; as the physician must un- 
derstand not only the nature of medicine but of the human 
constitution, and the state of his patient. But to acquire 
a knowledge of the mind and its modes and laws of opera- 
tion, without an acquaintance with the general circle of lite- 
jature, is impossible. It lies deep in the recesses of the 
temple of science, and can be approached only through the 
outer apartments. Yet, unless it be gained, a talent for 
communicating instruction, even of the humblest kind, can- 
not be acquired. For, if our modes of instruction are not 
IVi conformity ^vith the modes of thinking which nature has 



21 

established in the constitution of the mind, our teaching 
will be vain. On these principles only can we account for 
the fact that some schools have been remarkable for pro- 
ducing eminent men ; while, from others, dunces only have 
gone forth. This difference in the result cannot be owing, 
entirely, to an original difference in the capacity of the pu- 
pils; though, in part, it may; for the same system which 
tends to send out dunces, at the conclusion, is calculated, 
in the first instance, to allure them. A boy of vigorous in- 
tellect will surmount the difficulties which lie in the road 
to knowledge, whatever may be the talents and capacity 
of his guide: but, surely, it must make a difference, as to 
the pleasure and speed of his progress, whether his feet be 
encumbered with clogs, or equipped with the wings of Mer- 
cury. In the same period of time that, under an ordinary 
teacher, he would spend in learning to read and write in- 
differently, and in gaining a mere smattering of Arithmetic, 
lie might, with competent instruction, become not only a 
respectable proficient in these branches, but in Grammar, 
Geography, and the elements of Natural Philosophy. Were, 
therefore, the number of those who have completed a libe- 
ral course of study, increased to such a degree as to justify 
the practice of employing none others in the capacity of in- 
structors in our common schools, every family in our land 
would reap no inconsiderable advantage ; and our colle- 
ges, should they yield no further benefit to the public than 
that of furnishing a sufficient supply of such teachers, would 
richly deserve its patronage. 

But the majority of this nation must ever be devoted to 
other employments than those for which we have, in the 
preceding remarks, attempted to shew that a liberal edu- 
cation is necessary. They are, and will, principally, con- 
tinue to be, farmers. That they should all enjoy the ad- 
vantages of a liberal education, is not in the nature of things 
possible. But, that a considerable number of them should, 
is not impossible. And certainly, as it respects both thenv» 



2:^ 

^elve£ and the community, it is highly desirable. They 
are, now, the most respectable class in society. If they 
were better educated they would be still more so. Every 
farmer, whose mind should be expanded by the influence 
of science, would become a centre of light and of influence 
in his neighborhood. The improvements, which his su- 
perior knowledge and taste would enable him to introduce 
Into his condition, would be observed and imitated by 
others. This whole class of citizens would thus, at length, 
be enabled to avail themselves of the many advantages 
which the Author of nature has afforded them, and which, 
if improved, would render them the happiest of mortals. 

«'0 fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint, 

Agricolas I"* 

The control of all other classes of men in society is with 
the farmers. The government is theirs. How important, 
then, that they be enlightened. An ignorant people can- 
not long be free. They will vilify their benefactors and 
caress their enemies— I mean those who flatter them. — - 
They will oppose their own best interests. They will 
forge chains for themselves. A people who undertake to 
maintain their liberties, without fostering institutions of 
learning, undertake to make war against those laws which 
the Governor of the universe has fixed for the management 
of his dominion over his intelligent creatures, laws which 
are settled as tho foundations of the earth, and strong as 
the "pillars of heaven," Vice and ignorance are insepa- 
rable. Ignorance cannot direct, and vice must be kept 
under by the strong hand of power. The good of the \^ 
niverse requires it: God has decreed it: earth and hell 
prove it. That education tends to promote knowledge and 
virtue needs no proof. An educated man cannot exist 
without throwing light around liim. He cannot be a vi- 
cious man. 
1 am a believer in the omnipotence of education, I dc 

*«0 happy, if he knew his happy sUie, ^ 

The ?<7.ain/' 



23 

liot mean without the grace of God. But the only book 
that tells me of the grace of God, informs me also that if I 
•'train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old 
he will not depart from it." There does, indeed, come 
forth, now and then, from the walls of a college, an indivi- 
dual with the reputation of having completed an entire 
course of education, who is, nevertheless, prepared to be a 
burden to himself and a nuisance to society. Such an in- 
stance, however frequently it may occur, makes nothing a- 
gainst the position I have taken. For that, after all, is the 
least important part of an education which is obtained at 
college. I must go into the house where this youth was 
reared up from the cradle, and see whether the fear of God 
is there,— whether the parents observe the Sabbath, and 
read the bible, and offer up the morning and the evening 
sacrifice, and attend upon that other ordinance of divine 
institution which the wise of this world call "the foolish- 
ness of preaching," — whether they, in bringing up their 
children, add example to precept, and discipline to exam- 
ple, using assiduously caution, reproof, admonition,yes, and, 
in early life, that old-fashioned, puritanical instrument, the 
rod of correction. For you must not take a boy from the 
bosom of a family where he has been nurtured in indolence 
and vice, where, perhaps, he had learned to lie, to curse 
and swear, and to spurn at authority, before he could speak 
distinctly, and to drink and gamble and so on, before he 
has reached the age of puberty, — you must not put such 
an one into a college and ask the professors to work a mi- 
racle upon him. For, the truth is, he is formed already, 
and all the colleges and all the means in the world cannot 
re-form him. Nor must you take, as a fair experiment, a 
youth who has been blessed with a good and pious educa- 
tion at home, and afterwards put to a seminary under the 
superintendence of an unprincipled teacher, — where he 
will have grimace for religion and flattery for friendship, 
and where all his former good principles v^ili fall under the 



^4 

corrupting influence of a system which is hollow and de^ 
ceptive throughout, and which addresses itself to the vani* 
iy of the pupils^ and other corrupt propensities of human 
nature — for such seminaries and such teachers there are ;— - 
I say you must not do this ; and then, should your boy^ once 
so lovely and so promising, be spoiled, cast the blame upon 
institutions of a different character or upon education in 
general. When I say that education is omnipotent, I mean 
an education which is good — good throughout; that part 
which is obtained in the nursery and at the paternal fire- 
side; that part which is obtained in the elementary school; 
and that which is obtained at the college. I mean, 
too, that, through all these parts, it should comprise in- 
struction, training, and government; — instruction commu- 
nicated in such ways as to render it interesting, and in such 
an order and method as are in conformity to the arrange- 
ment of faculties which nature has set up in the constitu- 
tion of a rational soul ; — training in the exercise of those 
dispositions, and in the performance of those acts, which 
constitute a truly noble and amiable character; — and go- 
vernment firm but paternal, founded on such principles 
and conducted in such a manner, tempered with such 
kindness, and directing all things pertaining to the whole 
matter of the pupil's education with so manifest and zeal- 
ous a regard to his best interests, that, without doing vio- 
lence to reason and conscience and gratitude, he cannot 
make light of it. Let the child go through such a course 
of education as this, and if, when he arrives at mature age, 
he does not turn out to be a sound and ripe scholar, learn- 
ed, and wise, and good, it will be a case without a prece- 
dent. 

In the remarks already made, our attention has been 
chiefly directed to the influence which education is calcu- 
lated to exert upon the general mass of the community; 
and, if they have been founded in truth, this influence must 
be acknowledged to be, in the highest degree, salutar}v 



25 

Whether it tends to promote the individual happiness o^ 
those who are engaged in literary and scientific pursuits 
may not be so evident. If happiness consisted in the accu- 
mulation of riches, the question would be easily decided. 
The talents and habits which are employed in the investi- 
gation of truth, are of a very different order from those 
which are requisite in the pursuit of wealth; and those 
works of genius which have procured for their authors im- 
mortality after death, added but little to their means of sub- 
sistence while living. It cannot be denied, also, that the labors 
of the mind are less conducive to health, and have a more 
exhausting effect upon the spirits, than those of the body. 
So that "he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." 
These considerations, however, affect the question of man's 
happiness only as it respects his animal nature ; and so far 
as the pleasures of the body are concerned, the advantage 
is clearly on the side of him who is devoted to active pur- 
suits, with as little application to intense and continued 
thinking as possible. He, therefore, in whose constitution 
there is more of the animal than of the rational, consults bad- 
ly for himself when he resolves to make himself a scholar. 
An honest teacher would forbid pupils of this description 
to prosecute the hopeless attempt, and direct their atten- 
tion to some of those useful employments in which muscu- 
lar, rather than mental, energy is required. But this faith- 
ful office is seldom performed and seldomer thankfully re- 
ceived. The opinion is that the eminence of a teacher is 
to be estimated according to the number of his pupils. The 
name of an "in vita Minerva"-student appears as large on 
the roll as any other; and so he is retained, and perhaps 
flattered into the behef that he is making great and rapid 
advances, and is infallibly destined to cut a figure in the 
world ! But, however happy he may feel, in the mean time 
while indulging those visionary prospects, the stern reality 
of things will teach him at length that his choice has been 
exceedingly unhappy. I make these remarks, because I 
'4. 



2t> 

believe that the number of such students, in diflerent semi- 
naries in the United States, is, somehow or other, increas- 
ing out of all reasonable proportion. 

But, though a liberal education, bestowed on an inferior 
mind, is more likely to diminish than enhance the happi- 
ness of the person, as the armour oi a giant would crush 
the body of a pigmy, yet, where there exists a respectable- 
degree of native talent, the opposite result may be expect- 
ed. Much of that dissatisfaction in which so many spend 
their lives, proceeds from the want of a capacity to disco- 
ver and appreciate the advantages which nature has plac- 
ed within their reach. And, as this capacity belongs to 
the mind, he that improves his mind improves his condition. 
He now finds access to sources of enjoyment unknown to 
him before. He can converse with "the mighty dead," 
through the medium of their works. His soul harn^oni- 
zes with the beautiful and the sublime which scenes of na- 
ture exhibit. The glory spread over creatioii his eye be- 
holds with rapture. The intimate acquaintance which he 
has with those wonderful contrivances, which, Uke the secret 
springs of a machine, lie concealed in the structure and com- 
position of things, furnishes him with unceasing occasion for 
admiration. His thoughts take a wider range, in proportion 
aB the sphere of his knowledge is enlarged, and consequent- 
ly meet with entertainment in a greater variety of objects. 
His soul is awakened to a consciousness of its own native 
dignity by the contemplation of those magnificent arrange- 
ments, which the wisdom of the Creator has set up in those 
vast regions of space where planets, comets, suns and sys- 
tems perform their revolutions. The Universe, to his view, 
is a temple, filled with the august presence of HIM who 
formed it, inspiring into his soul elevated conceptions with 
their corresponding emotions of awe and delight. 

How much more exalted and pure are pleasures such as 
these, than those which are to be found in the ways of low 
Sensuality, sordid avarice, or restless ambition! ''Let any 



man,'* says a writer in one of tlie n\ost resfvectable peri.0,- 
dicals o{ the day, "pass an evening in vacant idleness, or e- 
ven in reading some silly tale, and compare the state of his 
mind when he goes to sleep or gets up next morning with 
its state some other day when he has passed a few hours in 
going through the proofs, by facts and reasoning, of some 
of the great doctrines in Natural Science, learning truths 
wholly new to him, and satisfying himself by careful exami- 
nation of the grounds on which known truths rest, so as to 
be not only acquainted with the doctrines themselves, but 
able to shew why he believes them, and to prove before Or 
thors that they are true — he will find as great a difference 
as can exist in the same being; the difference between 
looking back upon time unprofitably wasted, and time spent 
in self-improvement: he will feel himself in the one case 
listless and dissatisfied, in the other comfortable and happy; 
in the one case, if he do not appear to himself humbled, at 
least he will not have earned any claim to his own respect; 
in the other case, he will enjoy a proud consciousness of 
having, by his own exertions, become a wiser and therefore 
a more exalted creature." 

The pleasures of literature, it has been often and justly 
remarked, are less dependant on circumstances than any 
other. "They strengthen the mind in youth," says Cicero, 
"and afford comfort in old age: they impart an ornament 
to prosperity, and a refuge and solace in adversity: they 
delight at home, and are no encumbrance abroad : by night, 
©n a journey, in the countrj', they are our most faithful and 
agreeable companions." To gain the countenance and 
support of these "companions," no base compliances are ne- 
cessary; nor are any hypocritical arts, or senseless forms 
requisite to secure their friendship ; nor need we fear lest, 
on a reverse of fortune, they should refuse to acknowledge 
our acquaintance. Disgusted with the vices and folhes of 
a treacherous race of beings, who cannot enter into his 
views, because they ran form no conception of what i5.grerJ. 



and noble in the Iiuman character, the man of science^ 
though possessed of but a moderate fortune, may retire, at 
pleasure, within, the resources of his own mind, and there 
enjoy the banquet of intellectual delight, free from the an- 
noyance of those harpies which infest, with their noise^ 
stench and pollution, the entertainments of ordinary life» 
It is surely a satisfaction worthy of a magnanimous spirit, 
to reflect that there is, at least, one sphere of enjoyment, 
over the goods of which fortune has no control, and of 
which the arrogance of all-absorbing wealth can claim no 
monopoly, and which, like the treasures of heaven itself, 
"moth and rust cannot corrupt, nor thieves break through 
and steal." 

From the tenor of the remarks which have been made, it 
will readily be perceived, what are the views of the speak- 
er on the important subject of education in general, and, 
consequently, what course he will endeavour to pursue in 
the very responsible and arduous station to which he is a- 
bout to be introduced. Yet, an additional remark or two 
may be necessary to prevent mistakes. 

And, in the first place, it is intended that classical learn» 
ing shall hold its place— a grade of equal importance with 
any other kind of learning— in the course of literature to be 
pursued. The objections to this need not now be mention- 
ed, or refuted. They are mostly frivolous. To a correct 
knowledge of the English language the shortest road is 
through the Latin ; and this once gone over, any other mo- 
dern language of Europe, except the German, can be 
learned in about a fourth part of the time which would o- 
therwise be requisite. Exercises in classical literature af- 
ford the best mental discipline; they strengthen the memo- 
ry, give a readiness of perception and utterance, a power 
of discrimination and of tracing analogies; they store the 
fancy with pleasant images, and furnish the means of form- 
ing the taste upon the most perfect models. And if, as 
Lord Bacon has intimated, two languages are as necessary 



29 

10 a scholar as two wings to a bird, that time must surely he 
well spent which enables a young student to balance his na- 
tive language by the acquisition of one so noble in itself as 
that which was spoken by the masters of the world. Of 
the Greek I need say nothing; for no one ever learned the 
Latin who could afterwards rest contented without this. 

As to the mode of giving instruction which we intend to 
pursue, it would be difficult to speak particularly, at pre- 
sent. I shall only therefore say, in the general, that, after 
full and frequent conversations on the subject, we are of 
one mind, (I speak of the Faculty,) and resolved to pursue 
such methods as shall tend to exercise and improve the un- 
derstanding rather than burden the memory. We shall 
build on first principles, and aim at laying the foundation 
broad and deep, leaving it to our pupils to go on with the 
superstructure, in after life, as they may find leisure and 
opportunity. 

As it respects the management of the discipline and go- 
vernment of the Institution, no means of producing unnatu- 
ral excitements shall be resorted to. It is with the mind as 
with the body: the less stimulus the better. False praise, 
especially, shall never be used for this purpose ; much less 
for popularity. A propensity to flatter is the character 
of a base mind. The thing itself is contrary to truth, 
and corrupting in its tendency. The great principles of 
government, by which we shall hope to maintain our au- 
thority, will be, truth, reason, honor, interest, religion. 

Purity of morals shall be made a primary object. When- 
ever any student shall shew symptoms of sloth, or of any 
other vice, commencing upon him, he shall be addressed on 
the subject; and, if admonition prove ineffectual, he shall 
be sent away. No indolent or dissipated youth need ask 
for admission, even for a day, within these walls. Let none 
think hard of this. Colleges were intended, not to reform 
the vicious, but to instruct those who wish to learn. They 
are schools, not penitentiaries. Yet, our government shall 



30 

be paternal, just, kind and tender to the obedient, severe 
only where necessity requires. 

On the subject of religion, as on all others, the utmost 
freedom of opinion and remark shall be allowed. Lectures 
on the Evidences of Christianity will constitute a part of 
our course ; and while the utmost care and dehcacy shall 
"be observed in touching upon any of those points with re- 
spect to which difference of opinion exists between differ- 
ent sects of professing Christians, and even upon those 
"wherein professing Christians of all denominations differ 
from the Deist, care will be taken to "vindicate the ways of 
God" by inculcating suitable sentiments respecting his cha- 
racter and government, as indicated to ns in his works as 
well as in his word. Our honest endeavour, for ourselves 
and for our pupils, so far as they may be influenced by our 
instructions and example, shall be to serve and worship the 
Author of Nature, the God of the Bible. 

On his blessing we will rely, (with the assistance of our 
respectable colleagues and the support and co-operation of 
the Board and other friends of the infant Institution,) for suc- 
cess in the undertaking which we are now about to com- 
mence, — that of rearing up an Institution, which shall be- 
come, before long, the pride and glory of the State, the lov- 
ed and revered spot to which her sons shall resort, to enjoy 
advantages, equal, at least, to those of any other seat of 
learning west of the AUeghanies. Whatever industry and 
zeal on our part can effect, we here pledge for the accom- 
plishment of this object; and if we should not meet with 
success we shall, at least, try to deserve it. 



THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



028 342 331 1 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS # 



028 342 331 1 



HoUinger Corp. 
pH83 



